After a moment of silence, Su Yang turned to look at Xue Zhen and spoke, "I'm sorry, but I cannot join the Eternal Devotion Valley."
"What?! Why?! If there's anything I can do–"
Su Yang shook his head and interrupted, "I'm afraid that there's nothing you can do to convince me. I already have someone I fancy, and I intend on sharing my first time with her. If becoming a dual cultivator requires me to sleep with others, I cannot imagine myself doing that. In fact, I became a cultivator solely for her."
"N-no way… You're going to throw away your talents for a mere woman…? This isn't right! You have the Boundless Yang Constitution! You are destined to become a dual cultivator! What is a single woman when you can have hundreds if not thousands of beautiful women by your side?!" Xue Zhen could not accept such an outcome.
Su Yang sighed, "I won't ask you to understand me, but please respect my decision."
Xue Zhen gritted her teeth in frustration. She wanted to ignore Su Yang's wishes and drag him back to her sect by force, but with Senior Wu and Han Jianzhi standing there, it was not something she could achieve alone.
"You… you will regret this sooner or later!" Xue Zhen immediately turned toward the exit and walked out of the room.
"Sect Leader Xue, allow me to–" Senior Wu tried to follow her.
"I can leave by myself!" Xue Zhen immediately stopped him and quickly disappeared from their sight.
After Xue Zhen left, Su Yang turned to look at Han Jianzhi and said, "Sect Leader, Master, even though I joined the Fleeting Sword Sect, in truth, any sect would've sufficed. I am cultivating to become someone worthy of the woman I fancy, not because of some noble reasons. I'm sorry if I turned out to be a disappointment."
Su Yang wanted to make it clear that he did not join the Fleeting Sword Sect to learn the sword. He just happened to encounter Senior Wu and accepted his request to join the sect, nothing more.
However, Han Jianzhi couldn't care less about his reasons for joining the sect and laughed, "All that matters to me is that you've chosen the Fleeting Sword Sect! And don't kick yourself over such a reason. There are plenty of people out there that cultivate for even worse reasons!"
Senior Wu nodded, caressing his beard as he spoke, "Regardless of your reasoning, as long as it motivates you to cultivate, it is a valid reason."
"Anyways, I hope Sect Leader Xue won't make things difficult for us after this."
Han Jianzhi sighed, "Today must have been a great blow to her. However, I want to believe that she is not an unreasonable person."
"She'll probably continue trying to persuade Su Yang to join the Eternal Devotion Valley, but since we've kept his identity hidden successfully, she won't be able to go after him immediately."
Senior Wu and Han Jianzhi had purposefully avoided addressing Su Yang by his name before Xue Zhen's presence so that she wouldn't be able to identify him immediately.
"We've managed to identify Su Yang's Heavenly Constitution with her help, but it doesn't feel like we've made any progression since we are still clueless as to how to train him," said Han Jianzhi.
Senior Wu sighed, "At least we know what we're looking for. I will ask around. In the meantime, you can continue training your sword techniques, Su Yang."
"Yes, Master."
"I will also ask around. Surely, someone out there knows how to deal with the Boundless Yang Constitution." Han Jianzhi said.
Thus, Su Yang returned to training his sword techniques with Huang Xiaoyun.
Meanwhile, Senior Wu left the sect again to look for a cultivation method that would suit Su Yang. However, it wasn't as though he could ask anyone for advice.
Due to how rare Su Yang's Heavenly Constitution was, Senior Wu and Han Jianzhi had to be careful to not carelessly spread such information, fearing that someone might steal Su Yang from them.
They remained lowkey and only spoke with those they truly trusted for advice.
Within the blink of an eye, half a year passed since Xue Zhen's visit to the Fleeting Sword Sect. During this time, the Eternal Devotion Valley did not contact the Fleeting Sword Sect even once, nor did the Fleeting Sword Sect look for them again, almost as though they had forgotten about each other.
Su Yang trained the Sword Tyrant's Void Insights nearly every day, perfecting the third stage, and was halfway into the fourth stage. His understanding of the technique had surpassed even Huang Xiaoyun, who was still trying to comprehend the fourth stage.
However, while Su Yang's sword mastery surpassed his peers and even most experts within the sect, his cultivation remained nonexistent.
"It's almost been a year since you have become a disciple, but your cultivation hasn't progressed even one bit. You're the first to remain as a mortal for so long without getting expelled, Junior Apprentice Brother." Huang Xiaoyun suddenly said after their morning training.
Normally, if a disciple hasn't entered the Elementary Spirit Realm after half a year, they would be kicked out of the sect for being incompetent.
Su Yang showed her a bittersweet smile and said, "What do you want me to do, Senior Apprentice Sister? Even if I want to try cultivating, our Master and the Sect Leader have forbidden me from touching any cultivation method without absolute certainty that it wouldn't mess up my Dantian again."
"Don't make it sound like I am blaming you. In fact, I received news from the Master last night that he's currently returning to the sect with someone who knows how to deal with your situation."
"Really?!" Su Yang's eyes flickered with excitement after hearing this news.
"Yes, he told me through the communication jade slip. He wouldn't lie about something like this."
"When can I expect his return?" Su Yang then asked.
"It will probably take another month or two. Master went pretty far this time. I think he even traveled to another Heaven to find this person."
"He traveled outside the Celestial Heaven…? That must've been expensive…"
"That's just how much he cares about you." Huang Xiaoyun shrugged.
"Anyways, I have nothing else to teach you, Junior Apprentice Brother. Your swordsmanship is already better than mine. The only reason I am still defeating you is because of my cultivation."
Su Yang bowed to her, "Thank you for taking the time to spar with me every day, Senior Apprentice Sister. I really appreciate it."
Huang Xiaoyun blushed slightly and hastily said, "I-I only did it because it was the Master's request! I am going back now!"
She hurriedly left the scene.
Su Yang watched her return to their living quarters with a slight smile. He continued training by himself shortly after.
A month and a half later, Senior Wu returned to the Fleeting Sword Sect with another individual beside him. Unlike Xue Zhen, this individual exuded the aura of a real expert, one that surpassed even Senior Wu himself by a significant margin.